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Roberta Page hold an opening for the new nonprofit corporation - It's West Springfield - Tuesday at the office of 10 Central st. Attending are, from left, Brian Griffin, vice president of the West Springfield Town Council, left , Mayor Edward C. Sullivan, and Carl E. Breyer Jr., from Park Place Realty.
Mark M. Murray
(The Republican / Mark M. Murray)

WEST SPRINGFIELD – A new community based nonprofit corporation called It’s West Springfield has officially started its work, with an emphasis on organizing community events and highlighting many aspects of West Springfield, such as local businesses and individuals.

“This is really a community-based effort,” said Roberta Page, president of It’s West Springfield, Inc. at 10 Central St. Tuesday. “We have a lot businesses and residents who are just excited about this. We have not had anything in town like this, really, and we want to do things on a yearlong basis. Every month, we hope to have something going on.”

She added that her corporation has been accepted by the Massachusetts Secretary of State as an official nonprofit corporation with an anticipated IRS 501(c)(3) designation soon to follow.

Furthermore, she said that one anticipated event for the corporation is to plan a gathering that would assemble members of the West Springfield town meeting past and present to mark the 240th anniversary of West Springfield’s first town meeting which took place on March 23, 1774.

“I’ve been in touch with the mayor and with the School Department to see if maybe what we can do, as one of the first things, is to help celebrate this 240th anniversary this year by holding a town meeting, in the middle school auditorium perhaps,” she said.

Mayor Edward Sullivan said that he thinks a nonprofit corporation to highlight West Springfield and to pull together community events will be beneficial to the community as a whole.

“We do have a multicultural, a very diverse population now in West Springfield, so it would be nice to have everybody engaged and highlight some of the positives,” Sullivan said. “Diversity should really be our strength in West Springfield.”

Page said the corporation consists of a small board of trustees and that many small businesses and individuals throughout West Springfield have donated so far to the nonprofit corporation.

She said there is no cost to become a member of It’s West Springfield Inc.

Information on the nature of the proposed anniversary event was incorrect in the initial posting of this story.